If history is any indication, voters can expect all of the county's School Board races to be decided in November.

Going back to 1990, rarely has a School Board primary race with more than two candidates not gone to a runoff election.

The only exceptions, according to the Supervisor of Elections, were in the 2006 primary when Robert Jordan won the District 1 seat with 55 percent of the vote and in the 2002 primary when Janice Kershaw took the District 5 seat with 56 percent of the vote.

Winning more than 50 percent of the vote is a given when there are only two candidates vying for a seat, but having a third or fourth candidate makes itmore difficult.

In last year's crowded School Board elections, current board member Tina Descovich just missed claiming victory in the primary, 2 percentage points away from a majority vote for District 3, sending the race to a runoff. And in District 4, the highest percentage any of the four candidates got was 30 percent, prompting another runoff.

Residents should expect to see similar outcomes during School Board primaries for Districts 1, 2 and 5 next week. Representatives for District 3 and 4 are midway through their terms and not on the ballot this year.

In District 2, which includes Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and parts of Cocoa and Rockledge, there are three candidates who will split the vote: Charles Parker, a teacher at Merritt Island High School; Cheryl McDougall, a licensed social worker; and Frank Sullivan, a former Port Authority board member and citrus shipper.

"With a three-person race, winning outright is pretty tough in a primary, no question," said Parker, adding he's feeling good about the trajectory of his campaign.

In District 5, which covers most of South Brevard, there are four candidates: Katye Campbell, a former teacher in Kentucky and Texas and substitute teacher in Brevard; Kelly Damerow, a teacher-turned-attorney; Dean Paterakis, a former teacher and real estate investor; and incumbent Andy Ziegler, a network specialist.

Again, with so many candidates in the mix, it's unlikely one of them will be able to secure more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary. Ziegler said the "most logical outcome" would be him and either Damerow or Campbell advancing to the general election.

"I'm very confident about my support out there, but getting 50 percent of the vote against three challengers is difficult, especially against two viable women who are doing a good job campaigning," he said.

In District 1, which encompasses most of North Brevard, there are only two candidates on the ballot: David Meader, a teacher at Jackson Middle School; and incumbent Misty Belford, a former instructor at Rollins College.

Having only two candidates usually would result in a winner in the primaries. However, because there is a write-in candidate for District 1, Shana Moore, the race must be decided in a runoff election. Either Meader or Belford, whoever wins the majority vote in the primary, will face Moore in the general election.

Write-in candidates are often used in political strategy to steal votes away from other candidates or in partisan races to close primaries to Democratic or Republican voters. Moore, however, said she "legitimately wants to win the seat."

"I know it is difficult to win as a write-in candidate. Brevard County has not had a write-in that has won. I would like to make history as the first write-in who has won," Moore said.

Moore, a former teacher at Jefferson Middle School, acknowledged that she faces tough opponents.

"With Misty, she’s an incumbent and usually incumbents win. And Meader, he's got the teachers union support," she said.

Voting information

The last day for early in-person voting is Saturday, Aug. 25 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Polls are open Tuesday, Aug. 28 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Remember to bring a valid form of I.D. that has your photo and signature.

Voters can go to any of the early-voting sites regardless of where they live:

Caroline Glenn is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Glenn at 321-576-5933 or caglenn@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @bycarolineglenn and like Education at Florida Today on Facebook.